Blinds and window coverings are available in a variety of materials. Horizontal blinds are available in which the head rail, and in some cases, the bottom rails are formed of metal, usually steel, and in which the slats are formed of wood. In other cases slats may be formed of materials such as thick thermo plastic or other heavier materials.
In some cases blinds may be available in which the slats are vertical being secured usually at the top to a head rail typically made of steel. Bottom rails are not usually required on this type of blind, since the slats are relatively heavy.
Such blinds must be fitted to the width, or in some cases the height and width, of the window or other opening for which they are intended. In the past blinds have been made in a factory, on a custom basis to a particular width (and height) specified by the purchaser. A salesperson would usually have had to call on the customer and take an order. However, it is more convenient to manufacture blinds and window coverings in certain standard widths, and stock these standard widths in a retail store. A customer may then simply come into the store and buy a blind slightly wider than the desired width (or longer than the height), and have it trimmed at the ends to the desired width (or height). This is both more economical, and thus more readily saleable, and at the same time provides the customer with an opportunity to purchase blinds in a retail establishment and walk out of the store with them in his possession, rather than meeting a salesperson at home, and waiting a few weeks for them to be fabricated in a factory.
In the past various apparatus has been designed for cutting down widths of horizontal blinds of specific designs and specific materials. However, in general terms, these machines have not been totally suitable for cutting down blinds in which the slats are made of heavier (or thicker) materials, such as wood or thick thermoplastic.
In addition to these factors, blinds and window coverings are also available in which blind slats are suspended vertically from a head rail. These blind slats may be drawn to one side or the other of the window opening, or in some cases to both sides, and may be rotated between open and closed positions, by a mechanism located in the head rail. Again, these blinds usually required a sales call, at the home, followed by custom fabrication in a factory.
Advantageously, these blinds too would be provided in standard widths, in a retail store and it would be desirable to provide an apparatus in the store for cutting down the width of the head rail, and also the lengths of the vertical slats, in the case of vertical blinds. Vertical blinds, as well as horizontal blinds, also use blind slats which are made of heavier or thicker materials such as wood or thick thermoplastic, and earlier machines such as those using shears or cutting blades are not suitable for cutting blind slats either vertical or horizontal, made of these thicker materials.
Preferably, in order to economize in-store installations of cut-down equipment and also to simplify instruction of staff, a single cut-down machine will be provided which enables blinds having a metal head rail, and having slats formed of these heavier materials to be cut down to the desired width (or height) in a single machine.
One of the considerations in designing such a cut-down machine is the manual effort that is required to operate the machine to cut through the head rail materials and the different cutting action, namely a saw cut for the heavier (and thicker) slat materials.
Clearly, metal such as steel, used in head rails, is relatively hard to cut. On the other hand, since the sections used in this type of product are relatively thin, the die for cutting the metal components of the blind may only be required to move a short distance.
Consequently, so long as adequate leverage is provided to move the metal cutting die a relatively short distance, this problem can be addressed.
On the other hand, the cutting of the blind slats themselves presents entirely different problems. In this type of blind the slats are made of relatively thick materials which while easier to cut require a saw blade action. The thickness of all of the blind slats of these heavier materials when bundled together for cutting is considerable. Consequently, the saw for cutting these heavier, thicker blind slats must move a considerable distance.
While it is relatively easy to provide for the manual operation of such a saw moving a considerable distance for cutting easier to cut thicker materials, the problem becomes more complex when it is understood that it is desirable, at least in the case of horizontal blinds, to cut all of the materials, both the metal head rail and the softer blind slats, in what is essentially a single cutting stroke.
This is because, at least in the case of horizontal blinds, the trimming of the ends of the head rails and slats must in most cases be carried out, so that the blind has a precisely measured width along each side, and the widths of the blind slats correspond to the widths of the head rail and bottom rail. This is not so important in the case of vertical blinds, but is still desirable.
Another type of blind, usually some what more inexpensive than the metal head rail type of blind, uses a head rail made of thermoplastic, usually an extrusion. The material of the head rail is, in these cases, much thicker than the thickness of a metal head rail. Consequently in the design of a machine for trimming blinds it is desirable to make provision for cutting down both types of blinds, ie those with metal head rails and those with thermoplastic head rails.
If all of these blinds can be trimmed in a single machine, this will greatly simplify the management of a retail store. Staff will be trained on only one machine. Use of valuable sales floor space, for such machine will be kept to a minimum.
Capital investment will be reduced. Maintenance will be simplified.
It is not feasible to provide two machines, i.e. a first machine which cuts only the head rail which is usually made of steel, and a second machine for an entirely separate cut for cutting the softer, thicker blind slats.
The moving of the blind from one machine to another will almost inevitably result in some discrepancy between the amount cut off from the head rail and the amount cut off from the blind slats, and the end result will not be satisfactory.
In addition to these problems when cutting down of blind components such as these formed on thermoplastic it is found that thermoplastic material is generally unsuitable for cutting by means of a movable cutting die such as is used for cutting metal sections. Such thermoplastic section components are however easy to cut when using other forms of cutters such as a rotary saw blades.
In this case it is found desirable to provide some form of component support to hold the component so that the cut is formed cleanly and in a desired plane.
For these reasons therefore the provision of a cutdown machine meeting all of these objectives, i.e. being capable of cutting through both the softer but thicker blind slats, and the harder but thinner metal head rail and bottom rail, and also the softer but thicker thermoplastic head rails and bottom rails of still further blinds, in a single manual cutting movement, and being capable of cutting thicker materials, presents a complex problem.
The complexity of the design is further aggravated by the fact that (in the case of horizontal blinds) the head rail is located at the head of the blind and is usually made of metal, eg. steel, and the blind slats (of thicker material) are located spaced below the head rail. Consequently, when trimming the blind it is necessary to provide cutting dies for cutting head rails and for substantially simultaneously cutting the thicker blind slats. It will of course be appreciated that in the case of horizontal, i.e. Venetian blinds, all of these cuts must be made in a common plane, so as to provide a uniform end trimming function on the blind. Even for vertical blinds, the vertical blind slats must be trimmed, along their lower ends, by cutting all the slat ends along a common plane.
Where such blinds have all thermoplastic components then the metal cutting portion of the cut down machine will not be used. All of the thermoplastic component can be cut down by some other form of cutters, for example a saw blade cutter.
A further factor in this type of apparatus is that as far as possible it is desirable to simplify its operation for the service personnel in the retail outlet, so that the cutting or trimming of the ends of the blind may be carried out with the least possible chance for error. Preferably, in order to do this, the apparatus will be constructed in such a way that a single movement of a manual cutting arm or lever, will produce the cut down or trim function both in respect of the head rail cutting die and also the closure element saw blade, so that all the components of the blind are trimmed with a single manual stroke. When referring to a “manual” stroke it will be appreciated that, in fact, the apparatus could be power operated. In some cases the head rails may also be of softer material, such as thermoplastic, and in these cases cutting for example by a saw blade, may be used to trim the ends of all the blind components, ie the head rail the blind slats and the bottom rail (if provided).
It will further be appreciated that this type of equipment will be used by service personnel in retail establishments. As such, while they will have a certain degree of training, they will usually have numerous other duties, and may in fact be working somewhat under pressure, while a customer is actually waiting. Consequently, it is desirable as far as possible to make the apparatus as simple to operate as is possible.
For this reason, it is desirable that the operating mechanism, in this case for example, a manual lever, shall operate both the head rail cutting die and also the cutter for example a cutting saw.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide some form of linkage in which both the die and the cutter are operated.
It will also be appreciated that while reference is made to manual operation, it is conceivable that some form of power operated means could be provided, which would still require some degree of manual operation, if only to simply press a switch. Manual operation is deemed to be generic to all such forms of operation whether power assisted, or not.